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By Denise Allabaugh (Staff Writer)
/
Published: September 16, 2012

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Chris Miller and Mark Lehman started brewing beer as a hobby and it turned into a successful business.

They work as engineers by day and brew by night.

The two started brewing in 2005 in Mr. Miller's garage in Plains Twp. Years later, they decided to take their hobby to the next level. They started selling beer in 2009 and the following year, they built a 120-gallon system.

Now, they make 13 different beer brands, which they sell to about 25 bars from Archbald to Nanticoke. Soon, they plan to expand more.

They plan to move into a new location, a former Sunday school behind a closed church in Wilkes-Barre Twp., in October. They purchased the former St. Joseph's Church property at 783 E. Northampton St. last year for their business, Breaker Brewing Co. In the future, they also want to open a small brew pub and tasting area and offer tours.

"We've gotten busy enough that we needed to get a building. There is a pretty good demand. People are always going to drink beer, and a lot of people like the fact that we're local," Mr. Miller said. "When we move up to the new location, we will increase our capacity and pick up as many bars as we can handle along with walk-in traffic."

Foaming over

Just as Mr. Miller and Mr. Lehman have seen their brewing business flourish, the craft brewing industry continues to grow in Northeast Pennsylvania and nationwide.

Craft brewers provide an estimated 103,585 jobs in the United States and sold nearly 11.5 million barrels of beer in 2011, up from 10.1 million in 2010, according to the Brewers Association, the trade association representing the majority of U.S. brewing companies.

"Craft brewers are growing rapidly because beer drinkers are having great experiences while enjoying high-quality beers from small and independent brewers," said Paul Gatza, director of the Brewers Association in Boulder, Colo.

"Wholesalers and retailers are increasingly knowledgeable about beer and are making more shelf space available to craft. Craft brewers continue to innovate with beer flavors and styles, and are highly engaged with fan bases and the local communities."

The beer brands Mr. Miller and Mr. Lehman brew have names like Olde King Coal Stout and Anthracite Ale.

"Most of our beers have a coal mine connection in the name and a story that goes with it," Mr. Miller said. "It's hard work but we love it."

3 Guys & a Beer'd

A group of four friends who started a Carbondale beer company also has seen growth.

The four friends, Dave Oakley, Matt Zuk, Jon Bronson and Johnny "The Beard" Waering, also started brewing beer as a hobby and turned it into a startup beer company called 3 Guys & a Beer'd.

All of them have day jobs. Mr. Oakley and Mr. Bronson are employed by the State Correctional Institution at Waymart. Mr. Waering works for Aqua Pennsylvania and Mr. Zuk works in the natural gas pipeline industry. The four of them started brewing beer together more than five years ago in their driveways and kitchens. Earlier this year, they set up space in the Carbondale Technology Transfer Center, a business incubator designed to support the successful development of entrepreneurial companies.

Since their start brewing beer as a hobby, they have undergone three expansions. They formerly had four 60-gallon fermenters and now have six. They doubled their amount of kegs from 60 to 120 and now, they are bottling beer. They serve about 24 bars from Honesdale to Scranton as well as other businesses.

"Right now, we're at maximum capacity," Mr. Oakley said. "There are several places that are on a waiting list."

Now, they are looking at a fourth expansion: getting a bigger brewing system so they could triple their capacity to make more beer they can supply to more places, Mr. Oakley said.

"The demand is so high that it is very difficult to keep up with," he said.

Mr. Oakley said he believes more breweries are popping up all over the country because "everyone is looking for something different, something unique." With Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors dominating the majority of the beer market, people are looking for different flavors, he said.

"There are now a lot more flavors and a lot more styles," Mr. Oakley said. "There is this whole other world of options. It's absolutely endless what you can do from getting it from a sack of grains to your glass."

The Brewers Association recently released strong mid-year numbers for America's small and independent craft brewers. Dollars sales were up 14 percent in the first half of 2012, while volume of craft-brewed beer sold jumped 12 percent during that same time period.

According to the Brewers Association, the United States now boasts 2,126 breweries, an increase of 350 additional breweries since June 2011.

A new brewery that recently opened in Luzerne County added to the increase. The Susquehanna Brewing Co. began brewing its first batch of beer in April in the former United Beverage building in Jenkins Twp. and sold its first keg in May.

The German-style brewery now employs 14 people and produces three types of craft beer including 6th Generation Stock Ale, named after Fred Maier, who is the sixth generation of local brewing icon Charles Stegmaier's family. Mr. Maier is running the business with his father Ed Maier and partner Mark Nobile.

Susquehanna Brewing Co. is now supplying beer to more than 100 bars, restaurants, distributors and shops in Northeast Pennsylvania and may expand into Philadelphia, Mr. Maier said.

Recently, the brewery launched its first seasonal Oktoberfest beer. In October, the brewery will produce a pumpkin ale using local produce, Mr. Maier said.

Mr. Maier said he believes the craft brewing industry continues to grow because people want to buy local and are looking for a variety of flavors.

Unlike the big beer companies Anheuser-Busch and MillerCoors, Mr. Maier said his brewery is targeting a smaller demographic of people "so you can push the boundaries a little more."

"Local support has been tremendous," he said.

Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com

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